Telling the Family
by Not A Muggle
Summary: Jack Jr. comes home for Christmas and tells his family he now work at a firm called Hendley Associates. Only his father knows what that really means...


**A/N:** I just finished reading The Teeth of the Tiger for the second time and decided to write a fic on his father finding out. I hope you enjoy. I am sorry for any discrepancies. If someone knows that I messed up on something please tell me and I will graciously go back and fix it. I always hate it when fan fic authors have there facts messed up. Also, I apologize in advance for any typos. I wanted to get this fic posted before I left for staff training at the camp I work at tomorrow.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything you recognize here. Tom Clancy, brilliant writer that he is, owns every thing that I took and manipulated to make my own little story. And I do so hope he will write another book about Jack Jr.

"Jack!" a kid's voice could be heard through out the house. "Mommy Jack is here!"

The aforementioned Jack soon found his arms full of his 10 year old brother.

"Hey kid. How's it going?"

"Great! My teacher this year, Sister Keeny, is really nice. We got to play soccer in P.E. on the last day of school and I was goalie. My team won! Why don't you come home as much anymore Jack? I have so much to tell you!"

"Well Kyle, I am out of college now and have to work everyday so I don't have as much time to come home."

"That stinks. You should still come home more because now I have a lot to tell you."

"Well I am going to be home for a few days so you will have plenty of time to tell me everything."

"Okay!" with this Kyle brightened up considerably.

"Jack!" his mother said as she came in the room, coming over to give her eldest son a kiss on the cheek. "We haven't seen you in a while."

"I've been busy with work. I'm still getting used to my new job and all."

"Oh? You'll have to tell us about your new job during dinner, which I must be getting back to."

"Okay. Oh, hey mom?" he asked making his mother turn back around. "Is Sally home yet?"

"Yes, I think she's upstairs with Katie." With this Kyle's eyes got big.

"Okay, thanks." He turned to head upstairs but Kyle blocked his way.

"You can't go up there yet."

"Why not?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at his brother.

"Sally made me promise not to tell."

"Ooo. Are they raping my Christmas present?" Jack asked eagerly.

"I promised not to tell," Kyle repeated.

"Okay then. Why don't you go check if their done so that I can come up and say hi to our sisters."

"Okay, I'll go and check. You stay right there," Kyle said as he turned to run up the stairs.

* * *

Making his way up the stairs at a slower pace than that of his brother he thought about what his mother said. "You'll have to tell us about your new job during dinner" 

It wasn't his mother he was worried about finding out about his new job, it was his father, former President of the United States, John Patrick Ryan Sr. His mother would believe him when he told her what he told everyone else who asked. That he was a financial consultant at a firm called Hendley Associates.

In fact Hendley Associates was a privately owned intelligence agency. It was the only building over two stories high in the direct line of sight between the CIA headquarters at Langley and the NAS at Fort Mead. This allowed it to intercept cyber traffic between the two.

Jack's job as an analyst was to go over that information and track suspected terrorists, mainly through their money, emails and phones. That information was then used to compile to what essentially was a hit list. That list was then given to his two cousins, Dominic and Brian, who where, I guess, The Campuses Hit Men.

Brain and Dom Killed the… Targets for lack of a better word, with a syringe, hidden in a pen, filled with succinylcholine. After 30 seconds of being injected with succinylcholine the victim would be come paralyzed, not able to breathe or move at all. Their hart would stop since it couldn't get oxygen. Ten minutes after being injected the person would be brain dead. It was virtually impossible to tell that the victim had been murdered because the drug metabolized even after death. It wisents a very nice way to die that was for sure. Jack himself had seen someone die this way. In fact he had killed one of the terrorists that way after Dom and Brian were 'made' so to say.

The reason Jack Jr. was worried about telling his father he worked for Hendley Associates was because, while technically he wasn't supposed to tell anyone what he really did, his father would know. It was his father whose idea Hendley Associates originally was. It was his fathers name on 100 presidential pardons written before he left office that would save anyone from prison time should what Hendley Associates really does be made public.

Jack Sr. had done his utmost best to keep his children away from the intelligence community. He was delighted when Jack Jr. apparently showed no interest whatsoever in it when he went away to college. He knew his father wouldn't be happy that he was fallowing in his footsteps in this way.

He wondered briefly what his father's reaction tonight would be.

"Jack," Kyle poked his head out of Katie's room down the hall. "It's okay now, you can come in."

Jack pushed all of that out of his head for the time being. He would find out tonight what his father thought. For now he would go catch up with his siblings whom he hadn't seen for a while. What would come, would come, and he would deal with it as it came.

* * *

Dinner that evening was delicious. Jack Jr. missed his mothers cooking. That was one more bad part of growing up. If you went married you had to feed yourself and it made no since what so ever to cook for one person. 

Jack Jr. just listened to his family talk around him. Sally was telling their mother about something she learned in med school. Kyle and Katie were talking about something or other with Jack Sr. Listening intently. As much as he liked being grown up and out in the workforce, being back home made him miss it just a little. Too be as naive as Kyle and Katie. Had there ever been a time where he had been that naive?

"Jack," he looked up from his musings when he heard his mother call his name.

"Yes?"

"Tell us about you new job." His sister had apparently finished telling her about school and now Cathy Ryan wanted to know what her oldest son was doing.

Jack Sr., also interested turned to look as his namesake.

"I'm working as a financial consultant at a relatively small firm," he told his family.

"What does a financial consultant do?" asked Kyle.

"Nothing all that interesting really," he told his younger brother. "I sit in my cubicle all day and look at other people's money." 'Terrorists money' he thought to himself.

"I'm sure your grandfather will be pleased with that," Cathy said with a smile.

"Grandfather is a financial consultant?" Kyle cut in.

"Yes, but he has a nice big office instead of a cubicle."

"Oh."

"What firm are you working at?" his mother persisted.

'She just had to ask didn't she? Well it had to happen sometime.' Jack Jr. glanced at his dad as he said, "It's called Hendley Associates. It's in Columbia, MD."

* * *

Jack Sr.'s eyes widened slightly when he heard his son say Hendley Associates. 'It can't be. He most have heard wrong. No, he defiantly heard his eldest son say Hendley Associates. How the heck had his son ended up working there of all places?' He listened as Jack Jr. told his mother about his job. He knew his son was lying, though he was doing a very good job of it. He most of practiced. There was no way Jack Jr. didn't know what The Campus really did. He had seen his son glance at him as he said where he worked, like he was watching for his father's reaction. His son knew alright.

* * *

Jack Jr. for his part had seen his father's eyes widen slightly before he turned around to his mother and told her more about what he did. He had, in fact, practiced from time to time what to tell people about his job. He knew his father was going to want to talk to him later but wouldn't now. The black side of Hendley Associates was meant to be kept secret and there was know way he would mention it in front of his siblings and mom. He wondered briefly if it would be possible to avoid being alone with his dad. No, the rest of the family might get suspicious and it would be better to get it over with.

* * *

After dinner Jack Sr. excused himself from the table saying he had an important phone call he had to make and that he would be down later. Jack Jr. had no doubt that his father was calling his Gerry Hendley, Jack Jr.'s boss and the man in charge of The Campus, and demanding to know why he hired his son. 

"Hendley," the man on the other end of the STU-5 encrypted phone answered.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Jack Sr. yelled into the phone.

"Good evening Jack. How are you?" Gerry replied. He knew that with Jack Jr. going home for Christmas that he would soon be getting a call like this from the former President. He had, in fact, been sitting at his desk staring at the phone when it rang. "I am assuming from your question that your son has told you where he works."

"Like hell he has! He sat at the dinner table tonight telling the family how he was a 'financial consultant' for Hendley Associates. What the hell do you have my son doing there?"

"Maybe you should ask him?"

"I am asking you."

"He does pretty much what he said he does."

"Bull." Someone knocked on his office door. "I am on an important phone call!" he told the person on the other side. That was code for 'I am on a confidential/matter of national security phone call, talk to me when I'm out.' Usually the rest of his family would leave him alone but not today. Jack Sr. scowled at the door as it opened. His eldest son entered and closed the door behind him.

"Didn't I say I was busy?" he asked his son.

"Are you talking to Senator Hendley?"

Jack Sr. just raised an eyebrow at his son.

"You just heard where I work, you know what Hendley Associates really is, and your name is on a bunch of presidential pardons that will get your son." 'and two of you nephews' "out of trouble should what The Campus really does over be made public. Who else would you be calling on a secure phone the minute you leave the dinner table but my new boss?"

"That is why I hired him Jack. Your son is a very bright young man."

"Yes he is. But did you have to hire him? I wanted to keep my kids away from this stuff."

"Jack, your son practically knew what we did when _he_ came and asked me for a job. He did his own bit of research before he came here. Jerry Rounds _(A/N I think he is the one who tells Hendley)_ tells me he's doing pretty well down stairs. He had a few things pop out at him that the other analyst didn't notice. They tell me that with a few more years experience he could be very good."

"I still don't like it."

'Wait till you find out your nephews are our hit men?' Gerry Hendley thought at the other end of the phone.

"Go talk to your son about his job Mr. President, not me."

"I am planning to. He is sitting right here in my study."

"Oh, let me speak with him a second before you have your lovely father-son talk."

"Alright, here he is. Senator Hendley would like to speak with you a moment." Jack Sr. said turning to his son.

"Yes sir," Jack Jr. said into the phone.

"I just wanted to make sure you knew what you could and couldn't reveal to your father as I am sure you are about to have a very long conversation about your chosen career."

"I was wondering about that though I did expect something from him."

"I probably should have told you at work yesterday. Most of this stuff is classified, tough since your father was a king spook in his day it will be kind of hard to keep anything from him. Do not mention the twins. He does not need to know who our boys are. He knows we have them but he doesn't need to know who they are."

"Yes sir."

"He knows most of the stuff that goes on here so there isn't to much you should have to keep from him. Do not tell him the extent of your involvement in Rome. In fact, it might be best to not reveal anything unless he asks you a direct question."

"Yes sir."

"Good evening then. Have fun tonight."

"Thank you sir. Good evening and merry Christmas."

* * *

Hanging the phone up Jack Jr. turned to his father expectantly. 

After a few seconds of silence Jack Sr. spoke, "Senator Hendley mentioned that you went to him asking for a job and that you practically new what Hendley Associates was when you first met with him."

"If you know where too look and what too look for what The Campus looks for is pretty obvious."

"It's not supposed to be."

"No one else has figured out what The Campus does dad. I just knew a few things already and a few other things I knew didn't add up so I went digging. When I had enough of the puzzle put together I took what I knew to Senator Hendley. After asking a few questions and him in avertedly answering one of mine I knew what Hendley Associates was and asked for a job. He thought about it and gave it to me."

Jack Sr. sat back in his chair and looked at his son. 23 years ago terrorist tried to kill his family and his then unborn son. What those terrorist did to his family led to take a job at the CIA. Now his son was doing the same work. He sighed.

"Do you like what your doing Jack?"

Jack stared intently at his father, "Yes, yes I do dad. I am serving my country and doing it in a way where we can actually get something done. I know for a fact that some of the information I came across led to the first kill that The Campus Ordered."

"How do you know that?" asked his father, frowning slightly.

"I was the one looking into everything about the first man they killed. The morning after he died I got intercepts about his death."

"How did you know it was The Campus that killed them? That death is supposed to be untraceable."

"Oh it is. I wondered about how they did it until the two guys told me."

His father looked at him sharply.

"Oh shit. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned that bit there," Junior said apprehensively.

"I am pretty sure as an analyst that you are not supposed to be privy to who and how The Campus is killing people. Explain."

"Uhh…"

"John Patrick Ryan Jr." well when his father said it that way.

"Well you see," he paused for a second trying to figure out how to tell his father how he knew with out mentioning Dominic or Brian. "I kind of figured out by accident that The Campus was sending its guys on a mission by accident. I am not saying how I figured out because that would give away information the Senator told me not to tell you. When I saw that Sali had died I knew those guys had been behind it somehow though I didn't know how.

"A few weeks later Mr. Granger came to my office and asked if I had my passport and told me I was going over seas to assist our guys with intelligence in the field. I asked the guys I met up with how they killed the dudes and they told me."

"Wait a minute. They sent you over seas?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Too back up our guys in the field. That is all. I helped them in identifying one of the guys that the needed to do in." 'as well as do him in for them,' he thought. "I think they chose me to go because I was a lot closer in age to the guys than most of the people at The Campus." 'And because I know the guys,' he didn't say out loud.

"I guess there is no way I can get you to get a different job?"

"How about CIA?" Jack Jr. shot back at his father.

"I thought so," Jack Sr. said with a sigh. "What ever you do, please don't tell you mother what your real job is. I think she would kill me if she knew I set up The Campus, not to mention that our son is working there. At the very least she would carve out my eyeballs."

"don't worry dad, if she carved out your eyeballs I am sure she would do it in such a way that she could put them back in when she stopped being mad at you and you would be able to see better than before she took them out," Jack Jr. said with a perfectly strait face.

Jack Sr. laughed out loud at his sons antics.

"Well my boy. I think you and I have been up here long enough. Lets go join the rest of the family."

With that, the topic of Jack Jr.'s choice of careere was left alone. though neither doubted that it would come up again sometime.

_please review! thank you!_


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